Bandai debuts new way to discover music with your cameraphone

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Only in Japan, as you’ve probably guessed. Bandai Networks’ new service lets people take photos of CD covers and posters using their phones, and then get sent a message with links to get more information on the band and buy related digital content.

The service uses optical recognition software from Evolution Robotice, and is already being used on 150,000 CDs in Japan. Using cameraphones is a logical way to market music, not least because its success (or otherwise) can be easily tracked.

However, there’s competition. Does Bandai’s new service really differ substantially from the 768 other ‘take a cameraphone photo and be sent a link’ technologies in Japan. And even if so, is there a cat’s chance in hell of it ever making it to the West?

Answers on a postcard please (which I’ll then photograph to be sent a link to a ringtone of your opinion).